992. Jason Leffler killed in sprint car

Multimedia compilation of the Top 1,000 "WORST of the Worst: Motorsports Crashes" captured on video or still images, with an emphasis on the need for constant vigilance in keeping drivers, crew members, emergency workers, and especially spectators, safe at racing events around the globe.

Photos for Headline Surfer / Former NASCAR driver Jason Leffler died from injuries suffered when his Sprint car slammed into the wall of a dirt raceway on June13, 2013, in New Jersey, state police said.

YouTube download / TV News report of Jason Leffler's death.

By HENRY FREDERICK

Headline Surfer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Running second with a few laps left on June 12, 2013, Jason Leffler was involved in a crash during a sprint car heat race at the 5⁄8-mile Bridgeport Speedway in Logan Township, NJ, resulting in his his car suffering a front suspension failure that caused it to crash into a wall and flip over repeatedly.

Leffler, 37, instantly lost consciousness in the accident and when track offcials learned he was not breathing, the race was stop and then cancelled altogether. Lefler was airlifted to Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Chester, Pa, where he was pronounced dead at 9 p.m., 30 minutes after the wreck.

An autopsy report stated Lefler's cause of death was due to severe blunt neck trauma and backbone injuries.

Jason Lefler had competed in IndyCar and NASCAR racing series and was recognized and honored after his passing by drivers in both open wheel and stock car racing leagues. NASCAR drivers competing in the 2013 Quicken Loans 400 had special stickers placed on their cars in honor of Leffler.

Denny Hamlin, who replaced Leffler in the No. 11 FedEx Toyota in late 2005, had his car repainted to resemble Leffler's former paint scheme.

NASCAR issued a statement on Jason Leffler's death that was carried by news organizations that night and the following day,

Jason Lefler had competed in IndyCar and NASCAR racing series and was recognized and honored after his passing by drivers in both open wheel and stock car racing leagues.

NASCAR drivers competing in the 2013 Quicken Loans 400 had special stickers placed on their cars in honor of Leffler. Denny Hamlin, who replaced Leffler in the No. 11 FedEx Toyota in late 2005, had his car repainted to resemble Leffler's former paint scheme.

FAST FACTS: Jason Leffler

• At the time of his death, Jason Leffler, had a 5-year-old son, Charlie Dean, with his gielfriend and the child's mother, Alison East; they lived in North Carolina.

• In 2009 at the July Daytona race weekend, it was announced that the No. 38 Toyota car would be shared with Kasey Kahne for the 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. Leffler remained in the Great Clips Toyota in 2010 and 2011. In late 2011 he was informed that he was free to pursue other opportunities for the 2012 season.

• On Jan. 9, 2012, Kyle Busch Motorsports announced that Leffler would drive the No. 18 truck for 14 races with sponsorship from Dollar General. However, strings of bad luck and poor finishes plagued the team, and Leffler was released on Aug. 14.

• Leffler also returned to the Cup Series in 2012, driving forRobinson-Blakeney Racing at Watkins Glen, and for Humphery Snith Racing at Michigan International Speedway.

• Leffler made a single Cup Series start in 2013, driving Humphrey Smith Racing's No. 19 Toyota Camary at Pocono Raceway in early June, three days before his death; he started and parked, finishing 43rd in the event.

Motorsports fans are drawn to racing for different reasons: The excitement of speed, skill of drafting & passing; strategies on when to pit for fuel, tires or repairs; the will to win and so forth. Ultimately, though, it's the big crashes that fans seem to like more than anything. And though nobody wishes serious injury or death to drivers, crew members, emergency personnel & especially spectators, the sad reality is carnage is always lurking. Despite the latest technology & improvements in aerodynamics of vehicles, driver equipment and enhanced track safety features, the fine line between life & death is always at play in any given sanctioned motorsport. Given that Headline Surfer® puts such an emphasis on racing with Daytona Beach International Speedway, the 24/7 internet news outlet is counting down its listing of the top 1,000 WORST of the Worst. While on the surface it may come across as gratuitous gore to critics, there can never be enough discussion about the need for constant vigilance in looking at safety.

Henry Frederick is publisher of Headline Surfer®, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet covering the Daytona Beach-Sanford-Orlando metro area via HeadlineSurfer.com for a decade now. A longtime cops & courts reporter focused on breaking news & investigative reporting, Frederick is among the Sunshine State's most prolific daily news reporters, having amassed dozens of journalism-industry awards in print anddigital platforms. Frederick is enrolled at Full Sail University in Winter Garden, FL, where he's three-fourths through the online Master of Arts program in New Media Journalism. His graduation is in August.